The Allman Brother’s Eat A Peach

Eat A Peach

August, 22 2015 | Eddie's Attic

Welcome to Eat a Peach, The Allman Brothers’ platinum-selling third album. Released on February 12, 1972, this was the follow up to the band’s smash hit At Fillmore East. It was also the final album featuring Duane Allman on guitar. He was killed in a motorcycle accident in the band’s hometown of Macon, Georgia before the recording was finished (and shortly after being released from rehab). Produced by Tom Dowd, the album features the epic, half-hour “Mountain Jam,” recorded during their Fillmore shows, “Little Martha,” and the massive radio hit “Blue Sky.” Duane died after only three of the tracks were recorded, and the band almost called it quits. Drummer Butch Trucks recalls, “How could we go on without Duane? But then we realized: how could we stop?” So they went back into the studio and recorded the rest of the album, including “Melissa,” which Greg had written but initially felt too soft for the band. His brother, however, had loved the song, so it went on. Dickey Betts eventually took over Duane’s role as band leader, and the group forged ahead. Speaking about the decision to finish recording the album, Greg Allman remembers, “The music brought life back to us all, and it was simultaneously realized by every one of us. We found strength, vitality, newness, reason, and belonging as we worked on finishing Eat a Peach… Those last three songs … just kinda floated right on out of us … The music was still good, it was still rich, and it still had that energy—it was still the Allman Brothers Band.”